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Province of the Karstlands
The Karstlands are a province in the Nation of Eris. They are one of the most interesting places in Eris. The Karston seat of power is at Matrohb Castle but it's largest cities are Karstus and Defford. The ruling family is House Harnce. ''Karst ''means limestone pavement. The Karstlands consist of a geographic area of land which is extremely rocky and consists of gorges and huge erratics as well as vast areas of pure rock. The Karstlands have a lower than normal amount of arable soil but the soil is well fertilised by the limestone around it. Occasional grass valleys such as at Defford attract many but most of the karstic people live spread out, in small villages near to water and tenable ground. It is one of the most rainy places in Eris. The first period of Karstic unity was during the Old Kingdom period Empire of Karste. This empire started out from the city of Karstus, on the Life of the East river and not truly a karstic settlement at all, having plains just south of it. Nonetheless this empire grew under the ruthless Karstyn family and managed to conquer all the lands north of the vale of the Seven Lords, to the Salt Sea and the Rivers Wells and Feeder. It even pushed onwards and conquered at various times parts of the vale, parts of the summerlands, lands across the river in the elmswood, northlands, and even tried to take over the kingdom of Taeranyus. It also established, for a short while, the Kingdom of Plenty beyond the Great Water. But the lands between the rivers, vale and sea was considered Karstia Proper, the permanent and true heart of the empire. When all of Eris was being conquered by Aenan Sarcrus, the Empire of Karst collapsed after the fall of Karstus and the killing of the Emperor and entire royal family. It broke up into various warring lords. Aenan established the Seaholds out of the northernmost part of the Karstlands, along the Salt Sea coast and gifted parts of the western kartlands to the Riverlands, but deemed the rest ungovernable due to the hostile terrain and massive guerilla activity he encountered therein. The local karstian lords fought off all attempts to conquer them and by the time of King Saen the Warrior, three main septs had formed. During the War of the Ninth Succession, the Lord Harnce of Matrohb Castle, leader of one of the three main septs, sided with Saen. With Saen's help, he brought the rest of the Karstlands under his control. When the Summerlands, loyal to the pretender King Thaeron, tried to capture Karstus in his name with royal help, the last sept subdued to Lord Harnce's authority and accepted his help. Still the odds looked impossible. At the Battle of Millmount, under a high sun, a united Karstic phalanx army defeated an army of the ancient enemy, the Summerlanders, with the soldiers of the usurper Thaeron for the . This marked the start of the karstian renewal, a new period of pride for the people of the Karstlands and a feeling of unity and empowerment swept the lands. This phalanx army went on to bring the eastern vale under the whip of King Saen and fight decisively in the battles of Singron and Fathertown. After King Saen I's ascension to the throne in Kingskeep, on Royal Isle, the Province of the Karstlands was created and the Lord Harnce, made its Overlord and Governor. Category:Eris